I am in GREAT need of 3rd grade centers. Can anyone help me?

Question

I am just staring guided reading groups and am in need to centers and some suggestions on how to manage them.

Answer 1

In my daughter's kindergarten class their centers changed weekly, but had similar themes depending on the topic of the week.

It is expensive because mostly you have to pay for supplies yourself, but you could probably come up with some ideas that will not cost too much.

Based on the number of students that you have decide how many centers you will need at once.

Her teacher often had a magazine center going. The kids would do different things each week. Find collages, certain letters, words, etc. that could help to illustarate topics. In her case it was often centered around the seasons and alphabet. In your case it could center around a theme from your reading group. Have the parents donate their old magazines and ask family members too.

A food center was set up only sometimes because of the expense. The kids would work on measuring skills and then have a snack. They would often include things that would result in the kids having like a trail mix type thing. This could be an alternative occasionally if you can tie it in with your theme.

There was always some sort of artistic element. The kids would draw, use die cuts, color or somehow illustrate a theme. This also can tie in with your reading group.

Because it was kindergarten there was always a sort of play group. You could make a photocopied game board with questions in grammar, math, etc. or better yet vocabulary from the reading. The kids draw a card and get to move the number of spaces if they can define or recognize the vocabulary word. (Do you have a teacher's aid to help prepare things???).

As for managing, put the kids in set groups. Then put their names on sticky notes. The sticky notes can be moved to show the kids which station they will visit each day. There should be very little discipline issues if you explain your expectations and they of course must clean up after themselves.